The Early Birds

On a single day in 1994, volunteer bird watchers tallied nearly 3,770 bald eagles in the skies over Brackendale, British Columbia. Ever since then, this small Canadian town has rejoiced in the title of "bald-eagle capital of the world." Why Brackendale, you might ask? The answer is to be found in the annual spawning of chum salmon, which turns the nearby Squamish River into a floating buffet that North America's iconic raptors find irresistible. Spawning season runs from mid-November to mid-February, and the best way to get close to the eagles swooping in on their prey is to join an "eagle...